The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 45. Approximately five million Americans currently suffer some form of TBI disability. More than 90% of TBIs are the result of the brain shearing against the inside of the skull after an acute event. The Defense and Veterans and Brain Injury Center states: “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant health issue which affects service members and veterans during times of both peace and war. The high rate of TBI and blast-related concussion events resulting from current combat operations directly impacts the health and safety of individual service members and subsequently the level of unit readiness and troop retention.”
Children, especially newborns, are much more vulnerable to TBI. Head injuries among children account for approximately 100,000 hospitalizations annually. TBI associated with professional or recreational sports activities is also a well recognized problem, with approximately 350,000 sports-related head injuries treated at U.S. hospital emergency rooms every year.
A significant challenge is early detection of TBI injuries and effective monitoring of a patient who is suspected of having suffered a TBI. Early detection and monitoring during the first few hours after a TBI is suspected of having occurred can potentially reduce long term complications for the patient and enable health professionals to more effectively treat the patient.